Nailing tool

ABSTRACT

In a portable pneumatic fastener driving device a magazine which receives fasteners joined in a strip is arranged helically around the tool body. The outer wall of the magazine is provided with a longitudinal slot for guiding a spring-loaded slide which effects the feed of the fasteners towards the drive track. The slot is covered by a coil spring wound on a reel which is attached to the slide.

United States Patent Korth [4 1 June 27, 1972 [54] NAILING TOOL [56]References Cited [72] inventor: Jurgen Korth, Berenbostel, GermanyUNITED STATES PATENTS Assigneer Bukama Gmbli. Hanover. Germany 3,469,7589/1969 Volkmann ..227/120 [22] Filed: 19, 1970 969,934 9/1910 Ballard..227/147 X Appl. No.: 65,136

Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 23, 1969 Germany ..P 19 43 000.3

US. Cl ..227/120, 227/136 Int. Cl.

Field ofSearch ..227/116, 117, 118, l20,125, 227/126, 135, 136, 137,138, 147

Primary Examiner-Granville Y. Custer, Jr. An0rneyl-libben, Noyes &Bicknell 57 ABSTRACT In a portable pneumatic fastener driving device amagazine which receives fasteners joined in a strip is arrangedhelically around the tool body. The outer wall of the magazine isprovided with a longitudinal slot for guiding a spring-loaded slidewhich effects the feed of the fasteners towards the drive track. Theslot is covered by a coil spring wound on a reel which is attached tothe slide.

7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJurm [s72 3.672.555

SHEET 1 0r 2 INVENTOR:

Jurgen Kari PATENTEDJUM? x972 3.672.555

sum 2 OF 2 INVENTORI Jmyen K0 'rf/v,

NAILING TOOL This invention relates to a nailing tool and particularlyto a portable stapling device for driving staples and other fasteningmeans, in particular nails, into a work piece, which staples are in theform of a strip and inserted into a magazine secured to the body of thedevice. The magazine is equipped with a resiliently driven slide for theadvance of the staples.

When hand held power operated devices of this type are actuated bycompressed air, electrical energy or by other sources of power, theyhave a high degree of efl'rciency and use a great number of staples ornails per unit of time. Therefore it is necessary that the magazinecomprises a relatively large storage chamber such that repeatedinterruptions of operation for inserting new strips of staples areminimized as far as possible. If the magazine is mounted in a generallynormal or inclined position with respect to the center axis of the toolbody, enlarging the store space will greatly increase the dimensions ofthe tool, rendering it cumbersome and heavy.

It is known in the art to design the magazine assembly of a nail drivingtool in the shape of a drum for receiving a lengthy coiled nail strip.However, with a magazine drum of this type, the advance of the nailstrip toward the discharging aperture of the tool is only possible bymeans of special gripping means mounted adjacent the discharge openingof the tool, as the nail strip coiledinside of the magazine drum has nolateral guidance. Besides, a magazine drum has a large radial overhang,and handling of the tool is'rendered unnecessarily cumbersome.

It is therefore an important object of the present invention to providea tool of the type described above with a magazine assembly with anincreased storing chamber which can receive a larger number of fasteningmeans, particularly nails, than hitherto without substantially enlargingthe external dimensions of the tool body. Another object of theinvention is the provision of a magazine assembly into which strips offasteners can be inserted in a very easy and simple manner. A furtherobject is to provide a pneumatic stapling device of the type describedabove which can easily and comfortably be manipulated.

These and other objects and features will appear more clearly from thefollowing specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a view of a hand held power operated tool for driving nailsinto a work piece, embodying the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a partial longitudinal section of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view in the helical plane III-III of the helicalmagazine channel of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view in the plane IV-IV of FIG. 3, and

' FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken at V-V of FIG. 3.

The hand held power operated tool according to the present inventioncomprises a magazine assembly with a channel for receiving a strip offasteners. The channel winds itself from its loading end to itsdischarge end in generally a helical manner; around the center axis ofthe tool body. A slide of the magazine assembly supports a reel forwinding up a coil spring. One end of the spring is anchored at thedischarge opening of the tool. A magazine assembly of this type providedwith a helical channel for receiving the strip of fasteners is of asmall radial dimension in relation to its storage capacity and permits along strip of fasteners to be inserted to permit driving into a workpiece a relatively large number of fasteners, especially nails, withouthaving to reload the tool frequently, which would necessarily lead tomany interruptions of its operation.

According to a particularly favorable feature of, the invention, themagazine channel receiving the strip of fasteners is arranged helicallyaround the tool body. A magazine of this construction providesadvantageous utilization of space since the tool body with the radiallywound helix-type channel necessitates only slightly larger dimensionssuch that its handling is not affected. Yet the helical magazine canreceive a particularly large quantity of fasteners.

If nails are used as fasteners in the form of a strip, with the circularheads of the nails overlapped like fish scales, their shafts alignedparallel and spaced the smallest possible interval from one another, itis recommended to arrange the helically coiled magazine channel inparallel relation to the upper edge of the scale-like overlapping nailheads. Thus, the entire length of the nail strip, which extends in anoblique direction with respect to the nail shafts, can be inserted intothe magazine channel.

Preferably the outer wall of the magazine channel is provided with afull length longitudinal slot for guiding the slide carrying the reelfor the coil spring in a manner such that effective guidance is providedover the entire length of the magazine channel and such that the nailstrip is advanced, free from interference, into the discharge channel ofthe tool. It is advantageous to aifix to the slide a prolongation, whichabuts against the rear end of the nail strip and is of larger width thanthe width of the longitudinal slot of the outer wall of the magazinechannel. This prolongation is suitably arranged in tangential directionto the helical line of the magazine channel and abuts, therefore, at alltimes to the rear end of the nail strip. The coil spring wound over partof its length onto the reel of the slide is approximately of the samewidth as the longitudinal slot of the magazine wall and thereby coversthe nail strip in the slot. I-Ierefrom accrues the particular advantagethat even nails or other fasteners or staples having shafts or shanks ofshorter dimension than the width of the longitudinal slot, cannot dropout from the magazine channel.

In order to permit simplifying the operation of inserting a strip ofnails or other fasteners into the magazine channel.

without having to return, prior thereto, the reel of the slide carryingthe coil spring to its initial position, the prolongation piece of theslide abutting against the rear end of the nail strip is sloped withrespect to the direction of the magazine channel such that the slide canbe moved over the fasteners just inserted into the magazine channel,whereby this prolongation piece then can be slid over the strip to abutagainst the end of the newly inserted fasteners.

The form of the magan'ne may be arranged either of a helix or in theform in the form of a spiral extending in a normal plane to the centeraxis of the tool body. a

With reference to the accompanyingdrawings an embodiment of the presentinvention is illustrated by way of example and comprises a tool .body 1provided with a handle or grip 2 and a socket piece 3 forming theconnection to a compressed air source. The tool is provided with thecustomary cylinder 4 in which a piston (not shown) reciprocates. To thepiston is secured the upper end of a driver blade 5, the blade 5 beingguided in a drive track which is arranged in a nose piece as sembly 5afor driving a nail 6 during a working stroke into a work piece.

The individual nails 6 with their scale-like overlapping heads andparallel shafis are joined to form a nail strip 7 which can be insertedinto the channel 8 (FIG. 5) of a magazine assembly 9 arranged helicallyabout the central axis of the tool body 1. The helix angel at which themagazine channel 8 runs around the tool body 1 is parallel to the nailstrip 7, pennitting the magazine channel to be loaded free from jammingover its entire length. The outer wall of the magazine assembly 9 isprovided over the entire length of the magazine channel 8 with alongitudinal slot 10 for guiding a slide 11. The slide 11 penetrates theslot 10 with two legs 12 (FIG. 4) welded to a strap 13 which covers theslot 10 from the inside, as can be seen in FIG. 4. This strap 13 is oflarger width than the slot 10 and provides, therefore, good guidance tothe slide 11. A reel 15 for a coil spring 16 is rotatably mounted on anaxle 14 in the slide 11. The other end 17 of the coil spring 16 isanchored near the foot or the discharge opening of the member 5a. Thecoil spring 16 is of approximately the same width as slot 10 of themagazine channel 8 so as to cover it. An inclined extension portion 18is connected to the slide 11 (see FIG. 3), which piece abuts against therear end of the nail strip 7 and cooperates with an oblique top plate 19at the upper open end 20 of the magazine channel 8 when a new nail strip7 is introduced therein. The coil spring 16 wound around the reel 15produces a force via the extension portion 18 onto the nail strip 7 foreffecting advance thereof such that the first nail is positioned in thedrive track of the nose piece assembly 5a, which nail during the workingstroke of the driver 5 is separated from the strip 7 and driven into theworkpiece.

When all nails of the nail strip 7 have been consumed, the slide 11 hasmoved from the initial position shown in FIG. 1, which is the positionis when a full nail strip is installed, downward over the entire lengthof the helical magazine channel 8 until it comes to rest against thenose piece assembly 5a. The magazine channel 8, being now empty, can berecharged through its upper open end 20, with a new nail strip. Overthis nail strip the slide 11 with its sloping extension portion 18 nowcan be moved to assume its upper initial position, and the end of thenail strip is supported at the opening by the stop plate 19. in this waythe reloading process is greatly simplified.

By way of the tension of the coil spring 16 the nail strip 7 is advanceddownwardly in direction of the discharge opening in the nose pieceassembly 5a, and effective guidance is provided for the slide 11 in thelongitudinal slot of the magazine channel 8.

It is to be understood that the present invention is by no means limitedto the particular construction shown in the drawings but may alsocomprise any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a fastener driving tool adapted to be used with a plurality offasteners in the form of an elongated strip, said tool comprising a bodyhaving at one end a driver reciprocating in a drive track to drive saidfasteners; the improvement comprising a fastener magazine having adischarge end located adjacent the driver and drive track and spiralingoutwardly from said discharge end into a generally helical form andhaving an opposite loading end which is open to permit endwise insertionof the elongated fastener strip, the entire magazine, including saiddischarge end and said loading end, being wrapped closely around thebody of said tool, a slide movable in said magazine and engageable withthe fastener strip to feed the fasteners to said driver, and a springconnected at one end to said slide and its opposite end connectedadjacent said driver for urging said slide against the fastener strip.

2. A tool as in claim 1, wherein said magazine is adapted to receive astrip of nails with overlapped heads and parallel shafts, and whereinthe helix angle of said magazine runs parallel to the heads of said nailstrip.

3. A tool as in claim 1, wherein said magazine has an outer wall, saidouter wall having a generally helical slot therein, said slide fittingin and being guided by said slot.

4. A tool as in claim 3, wherein said slide has an extension which iswider than said slot, said extension being adapted to engage thefastener strip.

5. A tool as in claim 4, wherein said extension of said slide has aportion sloping in a direction tangential to the helical magazine andinwardly toward the fastener strip, whereby said slide can be movedeasily over a newly inserted strip of fasteners toward said loading endof said magazine.

6. A tool as in claim 5, wherein stop means is provided at said loadingend of said magazine, said stop means being inclined with respect tosaid helical magazine, said stop means holding the newly insertedfastener strip in said magazine while said slide is moved over the newlyinserted fastener strip.

7. A tool as in claim 1 wherein said magazine is adapted to receive astrip of fasteners with heads and shafts, said heads being arranged inoverlapping manner and said shafts being parallel, said slide beingadapted to engage only the shafts of said fastener strip.

1. In a fastener driving tool adapted to be used with a plurality of fasteners in the form of an elongated strip, said tool comprising a body having at one end a driver reciprocating in a drive track to drive said fasteners; the improvement comprising a fastener magazine having a discharge end located adjacent the driver and drive track and spiraling outwardly from said discharge end into a generally helical form and having an opposite loading end which is open to permit endwise insertion of the elongated fastener strip, the entire magazine, including said discharge end and said loading end, being wrapped closely around the body of said tool, a slide movable in said magazine and engageable with the fastener strip to feed the fasteners to said driver, and a spring connected at one end to said slide and its opposite end connected adjacent said driver for urging said slide against the fastener strip.
 2. A tool as in claim 1, wherein said magazine is adapted to receiVe a strip of nails with overlapped heads and parallel shafts, and wherein the helix angle of said magazine runs parallel to the heads of said nail strip.
 3. A tool as in claim 1, wherein said magazine has an outer wall, said outer wall having a generally helical slot therein, said slide fitting in and being guided by said slot.
 4. A tool as in claim 3, wherein said slide has an extension which is wider than said slot, said extension being adapted to engage the fastener strip.
 5. A tool as in claim 4, wherein said extension of said slide has a portion sloping in a direction tangential to the helical magazine and inwardly toward the fastener strip, whereby said slide can be moved easily over a newly inserted strip of fasteners toward said loading end of said magazine.
 6. A tool as in claim 5, wherein stop means is provided at said loading end of said magazine, said stop means being inclined with respect to said helical magazine, said stop means holding the newly inserted fastener strip in said magazine while said slide is moved over the newly inserted fastener strip.
 7. A tool as in claim 1 wherein said magazine is adapted to receive a strip of fasteners with heads and shafts, said heads being arranged in overlapping manner and said shafts being parallel, said slide being adapted to engage only the shafts of said fastener strip. 